The fall of team NTLR
by BloodGulchBlue
Summary: Team NTLR is sent on a patrol when things go horribly wrong. Featuring an OC team, some new Grimm species and lots of action, this is the story of their fall. Rated T for violence.


The fall of team NTLR

The Dropship roared over the forest, green whipping below the open hatches. The four-strong team wearing marching grey combat suits and utility belts stared out, waiting to get to the drop point. Rowan and Leon faced Naxos and Tempest, the latter leaning her head on her Leader and boyfriend's shoulder, sleeping. Naxos noticed Leon staring, and gave him a reassuring smile.

"As ever, she sleeps. I honestly have no idea how she manages it. How're you two?"

"Concerned." Rowan replied. "I've never heard of such large numbers of Grimm moving about. This smells like trouble."

"And" Leon added "We're being sent without backup. The ship's leaving after dropping us off. We could do with fire support."

Naxos nodded. "I understand. We're the only single-team group sent to this area. Other sectors are being taken under the wing of two or more teams, but we are the best, am I right?"

The other two nodded, reassured. The Pilot's voice crackled over the headsets.

"ETA in five, people. Wake up the lady and get prepped."

"Roger, Delta four. Weapons check, Antler!" Naxos ordered, before shaking Tempest gently. Her eyes opened and focused. She was alert in seconds, loading her Dustlocks and tapping her backup clips, counting them silently. Leon cracked his knuckles and took a vial of dust from his belt, before pouring it into a long, thin, clear tube. The vivid dust glittered, the open ends linking, and was tied around his wrist. He repeated the procedure with the other wrist. Rowan loaded shells into his Nova, the bulky design allowing for both a larger ammunition space and a heavier swing as a baton. Naxos removed the cover from his twin quivers, and drew several inches of his blade. The edge was recently sharpened, and the wire running along the back flexed slightly at his touch. Nodding contentedly, he banged on the pilot's cockpit hatch, indicating their readiness.

The dropship slowed, team NTLR was able to make out the various trees. The pilot counted down, then hovered, the VTOLs stirring up leaves. NTLR dropped down. The dropship turned and then soared off. Naxos tested the TEAMCOM.

"Rowan, link us."

"Copy that." A tingling began in Naxos' skull, then he felt a presence next to him, as if the others were standing right next to him, rather than around the glade.

"Last known source of activity is in sector H9, and we're in E2. We move south-east."

Naxos felt recognition from the others before any of them vocally responded. NTLR began to move, padding over the fallen leaves and continuously on the lookout. Several miles in, Leon's link spiked, anticipation and fear emitting to the others. The other three looked up, following Leon's line of sight. A Nevermore was heading towards them.

"Alright, team. Prepare for an aerial assault! Leon, you're up!"

Leon thumbed a recess on his shaft, causing the spear to form within seconds, the pronged head glowing as Leon charged a bolt. He aimed, then fired. The spear discharged a bolt, heading towards the Nevermore. The dust filled tubes lost a little of their glow as they recharged Leon's aura. The electric blue discharge slammed into the bird, the power knocking it from the sky. NTLR rushed towards it as it fell. It hit the ground hard, and Naxos motioned to Tempest, who leapt forward, flipping her Dustlocks into pistol form. As she neared the fallen Nevermore, she opened fire, shooting streams of purple dust at the malevolent eyes. The dust blinded the beast, which shook its head and let out a shriek- which was cut short by Rowan's Nova as it fired a shell at down the bird's gullet, choking it. Naxos drew his blades and stabbed them into the Nevermore's throat. NTLR shared a nod before moving on.

At sector F6, things got worse. Having taken down another Nevermore and several Beowolves, the terrain became rockier. Slabs of rock jutted out from the ground at unnatural angles.

"As if something came from the ground" Tempest mused.

Leon spun his spear, turning nervously, his restless gaze searching for something. The trees appeared darker. The silence was only broken by feet moving over dead leaves. Naxos raised a fist, calling a halt to their progress. In front of them a cliff rose into the sky. Heavy breathing could be heard throughout the sparse trees. Rowan quickly glanced at the others. They were hardly breathing, taking small breaths. He pumped his Nova. The noise echoed, then faded. Just as he was about to turn, an Urasa charged at him. Relying on instinct, he charged, firing as he did so. The explosions forced the bear to blindly lumber forwards. Rowan changed his grip, moving it from the trigger to the butt of the gun, swinging the reinforced pump, the head of the club, as he did so. The Urasa ploughed into the ground, digging a furrow. A Beowolf slashed at him, but he blocked it, raising the Nova to shield himself, skidding backwards, falling over a jutting rock. The Beowolf lunged again, but was rewarded with a hole in its chest as the Nova roared. A blur shot towards the rising Ursa, and detonated in a flash of silver, the shockwave cutting through a pack of Grimm as it spread out. Naxos, eyes closed drew another arrow, sending it towards a sneaky Beowolf as it attempted to flank Tempest. His semblance told him where to shoot to hit the creature, allowing for continuous kill-shots. The wave moved through the huntress, her Aura protecting her from the discharge.

Leon was facing off against a horde of Boarbatusk. Spinning his spear, he formed and impenetrable wall, bouncing any challengers off. As one lunged, he sent the base of the spear smacking inbetween its eyes, then pushed the point into the ground, releasing a burst of energy that blew the creatures away. The dust supply was now a sickly grey-blue, indicating that he needed to refill.

"Tempest, I need a distraction!"

"I'm a little busy!" She replied as her guns blasted the Ursa prime. Rolling under its large paw, she stabbed both blades into the exposed neck, almost getting crushed by the falling corpse. Reloading, she then channelled her semblance. Mist appeared on the battlefield, covering a large area. She looked around, assessing the others. Naxos was a blur of swords as he tore through a Deathstalker's defence, cutting off one, then the other pincer, before dodging the stinger and cutting that off too. Rowan was clubbing yet another Beowolf, and Leon was fiddling with a vial of Dust. Running to cover him, she heard Naxos speak in her head.

"_We can't do this forever! We have to get up the cliff and call in help. Tempest, go up, we'll cover you!_"

She looked at Leon, who nodded at her. She ran to the rocky wall, flipping her guns into the dagger form, using the blades as picks to dig into the rock, helping her climb faster. At the foot of the cliff, the hunters found themselves literally between a rock and a hard place. The mist was thinning as Tempest moved away from them, and a King Taijitu slithered towards them. Distracted, Rowan failed to notice the Boarbatusk slash at his leg. Rowan, whose aura was practically depleted, could only cry out in pain as the wickedly sharp tusks cut into his leg. Shooting the creature, he limped towards his teammates.

"_I can't climb. You two have to go!_"

"_NO!"_ Leon's despair caused Naxos to feel even guiltier about the situation.

"_Rowan… I'm so sorry."_

"_It's Ok boss. Now go!"_

The thought-conversation was over in a second, but the two took his advice. Stowing their weapons, they scrambled for footholds, following Tempest. Another Nevermore sent razor sharp feathers at them, Leon using his retracted spear and his semblance to dissuade it temporarily. Suddenly, razor-hot pain almost caused Naxos to lose his grip. Leon slipped. Hanging from one hand, he grimaced as Rowan's agony was sent through the link.

"_Oh shit… Leon, stay there, I'll climb back down, just get another handhold, drop Gungir if you have to!"_

Fear turned to calm acceptance through the link as Naxos looked on in horror. Leon let go, extending his weapon. Blue energy crackled around him. Three agonising seconds were ended with a blinding flash and a deafening explosion. The link abruptly cut, the lack of emotional connection stunning Naxos.

Tempest, waiting behind a boulder at the top, saw a hand grasp the edge. Running over, she pulled her shaking leader. His face was grey and tears filled his eyes.

"Both of them… gone" he hoarsely whispered. "I failed them. We should have gone up the cliff. I failed them"

"No! We all accepted your command. You did nothing wrong."

"Did you get any connection?"

"I'm not sure. I transmitted an SOS multiple times, but there was no reply."

They held each other for a few minutes, waiting. Naxos drew in a breath, before thinking out loud.

"This is sector H9. The Grimm are here, and we can't wait around on a cliff. If we're found, then we are in trouble. We have to get somewhere defensible."

Tempest nodded. "I noticed a system of caves to the east and a plateau to the south. I'm guessing there will be Grimm in the caves."

The Nevermore shrieked overhead ominously. The southern path they were following forked after several minutes walking.

"This was as far as I scouted, the right goes up to a shelf of rock. You can see the plateau from there."

"Then we go right."

Three charging Ursa forced them to run left.

"I thought you said the way was clear!"

"It was!"

"You head to the plateau, I'll hold them off!"

She continued to run, Naxos drawing his blades.

"You!"

He cut at the leading beast, slicing deep into its chest.

"Will!"

His other blade stabbed into the left Ursa's skull.

"Not!"

Moving past the two bodies, he connected the hilts. The cords on the back of the blades separated at the tip of the blades, then joined each other, the connection completing a complex circuit, drawing the two separate cords together, into a bowstring. Drawing one of his arrows, he used his semblance to hit the Ursa, caught up in its own momentum, squarely in the back, vaporising it in the blast.

"Kill any more of my team!"

Just then Tempest's panicked voice cut in the TEAMCOM .

"Naxos, give me fire support on the shelf!"

Feeling sick, Naxos ascended the right path, looking over the plateau. It was swarming with Grimm. He saw his teammate fighting against a tide of black. As he watched, it parted, allowing another Grimm through. From his vantage point he saw a quadrupedal body, a long tail, and multiple heads.

"Hydra" He cursed. "T, don't…"

His plea over TEAMCOM was cut short as a darting head lashed out at the huntress, who cut it off. The stump swelled, then grew two new heads. The heads prevented Tempest from flanking, as two were always watching her from each side. Naxos shot an arrow at the creature's flanks, but the Nevermore had spotted him, and intercepted it. It flew backwards, gaining the attention of the Grimm spectators. Having seen him, they began to move, leaving Tempest duelling the Hydra. Drawing on his semblance, he continued to shoot, unconsciously drawing, nocking and shooting at the horde, wiping multiple enemies out as the moved to the fork in the path. The stampede shook the rock, causing cracks to appear. A plate of rock fell, carrying Beowolves down through what was supposed to be solid stone. A dark shape moved through the collapsed tunnel section, revealing another Grimm.

"N, there's a Wrym!"

Naxos opened his eyes, blinking away the darkness that threatened to blind him.

"A what?"

Tempest spoke rapidly, wisely using her dust to blind the heads.

"An ancient tunnelling Grimm, capable of growing to enormous sizes and destabilising cities!"

"Weaknesses?"

"Shoot an arrow down its throat, and you'll kill it"

"One arrow?" Naxos continued to fire at the horde, aiming for the leading creatures. The ground continued to fall apart, Tempest leaping over the cracks dodging various heads as she did so.

"It'll cause a chain reaction!"

"You're right underneath it!" he cried. "There's no way I can do that!"

The Wyrm reared, pushing up the ground directly below Tempest. Unstable, she dropped her guard to regain balance, allowing a Hydra's head to sink its teeth into her arm. She dropped, paralysed by the venom coursing through her body. The Wyrm continued to rise, revealing eyes ringing a mouth as large as its body. It had no neck, and red symbols decorated its skin.

"Please… shoot it" Tempest gasped over TEAMCOM

"I love you" Naxos whispered as he pulled back the bowstring. Tears filled his eyes, so he closed them, drawing on his semblance. Having used it for so long, his foresight was beginning to blur, making it hard to aim. Loosing the arrow with a roar of agony, he fell to the ground as white noise deafened him.

The dropship, responding to a weak distress call came across two scenes of carnage. The first was the site of an energy discharge, which had vaporised all life in a ten-metre radius. At the second, a giant Grimm laid in crater, a charred and smoking corpse. The walls were blackened, and other Grimm, ranging from Ursai, Boarbatusks and Beowolves, were also found in a canyon leading to a fork in a road. Two Ursa lay at the foot of the path. The response team found a body on a shelf of rock. Despite suffering from burns, he was still breathing. The team immediately medivaced him to Vale. Later reports would reach Beacon, where the team was trained and was preparing to graduate.

**Author's note:**** Well, that's the story of team NTLR. I might revisit Naxos, depending on the response I get, and the fact that I like to tie in my various stories (e.g. Delta four). Yes, it is a little clichéd at times. Feel free to leave a review and check out Ruby's Party, one of my Fanfics currently in progress, where this event gets a mention. If you liked the fight, check out Xrossovers, where a Jedi, Spartan and Pilot fight it out!**


End file.
